Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 6/11/21
When an individual is experiencing a mental health crisis, in a lot of cases 911 and law enforcement is called in to handle the situation. In Montana, this may change soon. Missoula just launched a mobile crisis response team program in which a mental health specialist is dispatched to the scene to talk to the individual and help connect them with the appropriate support services.
Kiki Radermacher, a member of the city’s mobile crisis response team, recalls sitting and talking with a man who’s fear of becoming homeless led him to suicidal thoughts. “We really want to empower people, to find solutions,” Kiki Radermacher, a member of the city’s mobile crisis response team, told Kaiser Health News. These mobile crisis response teams have also been deployed in Gallatin County and may soon be available throughout the state.
